Dennis Boutsikaris is a renowned American character actor, having earned two Obie Awards for his exceptional performances. He has also made a significant impact in the world of audiobooks, winning 13 Golden Earphone Awards and 8 Audie Awards. His narration of American Gods earned him the Best Audiobook of the Year award from Amazon.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Greek American father and Jewish mother, Boutsikaris grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He developed an interest in acting during his high school days at Governor Livingston High School, where he felt that his athletic pursuits were hindered by his height. He later attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and toured the country with John Houseman's The Acting Company, performing classical theatre.
Boutsikaris has appeared in numerous films, including leading roles in *batteries not included, The Dream Team, Crocodile Dundee II, Boys on the Side, and In Dreams. His recent indie films include Cherry Crush, The Education of Charlie Banks, Calling It Quits, The Bourne Legacy, and Money Monster. He also played Paul Wolfowitz in Oliver Stone's W.
On television, Boutsikaris has had leading roles in series such as Stat, The Jackie Thomas Show, and Misery Loves Company. He has also had recurring roles on Sidney Lumet's 100 Centre Street, Nurse, Trinity, ER, Law & Order, and Showtime's Shameless. He appeared in the second season of Person of Interest and had a leading part in the episode "The Crossing" (Season 2, Episode 20). In 2012, he co-starred in The Bourne Legacy, the fourth installment of the successful Bourne franchise.
Boutsikaris has also made appearances in numerous TV movies, including Chasing the Dragon, And Then There Was One, Three Faces of Karen, Survival on the Mountain, Beyond Betrayal, and as Woody Allen in the miniseries Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (with Patsy Kensit).
On Broadway, Boutsikaris became the first American to play Mozart in Amadeus, directed by Sir Laurence Olivier. He also starred in the Off-Broadway production of Sight Unseen to great critical acclaim. He has been seen on Broadway in Bent, Filumena (directed by Sir Laurence Olivier),and Amadeus (as the first American to play Mozart) with Frank Langella. He was also part of the original New York productions of The Boys Next Door, A Picasso, and the revival of That Championship Season.
Off-Broadway, he is best known for playing Jonathan Waxman in the original production of Sight Unseen at the Manhattan Theatre Club and later at the Orpheum Theatre. He received the Obie Award and a nomination for a Drama Desk Award for this performance. At the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles, he appeared in the premiere of David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood and in 2007 Jane Anderson's The Quality of Life with Laurie Metcalf and Jo Beth Williams. For that performance, he received the Backstage West Garland Award for Best Actor and was nominated for Best Actor by the L.A. Critics Drama Circle and by the LA Alliance Ovation Awards.
In 2009, he was in the Broadway revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound again with Laurie Metcalf. The former opened to wide critical acclaim but closed one week later, while the latter never opened. He continued his association with Laurie Metcalf, appearing with her in The Other Place Off-Broadway.
Boutsikaris has also had a successful career in audiobooks, with over 160 titles to his credit. He has received eight Audie Awards and two Best Voices of the Year Awards from AudioFile Magazine. He was voted Best Narrator of the Year by Amazon for "THE GENE".
Throughout his career, Boutsikaris has received numerous awards and nominations, including two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award nomination, a Cable ACE nomination, and a People's Choice Award nomination. He has also won the Best Actor Award at the Staten Island Film Festival and the Long Island Film Festival for his role in Calling It Quits.
